DP-300 Practice Question: Monitor, configure, and optimize database resources
You are managing an Azure SQL Database that supports a reporting application. Users report that queries are slow during business hours. You suspect that the database is experiencing CPU pressure. Which metric should you monitor to confirm this?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is choosing DTU percentage because it is a common metric, but it combines CPU, I/O, and memory, so it does not specifically confirm CPU pressure.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
CPU percentage
CPU percentage is the direct metric for CPU utilization in Azure SQL Database. Unlike DTU percentage, which aggregates multiple resources, CPU percentage isolates processor usage. When CPU percentage is consistently high, it confirms CPU pressure as the cause of slow queries. The other metrics measure I/O or log throughput, which are unrelated to CPU bottlenecks.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
DTU percentage
Why it's wrong here
DTU percentage represents the overall resource utilization (CPU, I/O, memory) in the DTU-based purchasing model. While a high DTU percentage can indicate CPU pressure, it is a composite metric and does not isolate CPU usage. Therefore, it is not the most direct metric to confirm CPU pressure specifically.
- ✓
CPU percentage
Why this is correct
CPU percentage is a metric available in Azure Monitor for Azure SQL Database that shows the percentage of CPU used by the database. A consistently high CPU percentage directly indicates CPU pressure. This is the most specific and direct metric to confirm that slow queries are due to CPU bottlenecks, making it the correct choice.
- ✗
Log write percentage
Why it's wrong here
Log write percentage measures the percentage of log write throughput utilization. It is relevant for transaction log bottlenecks but does not indicate CPU pressure. Slow queries due to CPU would not necessarily increase log write percentage. Thus, this metric is not appropriate for confirming CPU pressure.
- ✗
Data IO percentage
Why it's wrong here
Data IO percentage measures the percentage of data I/O utilization. High values indicate I/O bottlenecks, not CPU pressure. Since the scenario specifically suspects CPU pressure, monitoring data I/O would not confirm that hypothesis. It might show high values if there is an I/O issue, but it does not directly measure CPU usage.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Managing Environment Configurations and Resource Governance
Key term
Azure SQL Performance Tuning
Azure SQL Performance Tuning is the process of optimizing the speed and efficiency of queries and database operations in Microsoft Azure SQL Database or SQL Managed Instance to reduce latency and improve throughput.
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Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Microsoft exam blueprint
This DP-300 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Microsoft certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the DP-300 exam.